Photo Credit: The Paley Center for Media
It was a night filled with side-splitting laughs and conversation as Paleyfest celebrated Seth Meyers’ 10th anniversary in late night television. Moderated by Andy Samberg, the event opened up with a clip featuring Meyers and actress Kristen Stewart during the, “Day Drinking,” segment. It would soon be revealed to the audience that Meyers not only got drunk from this, but this was also filmed during the week when they shoot shows. Talk about a nasty hangover!
The back and forth between Samberg and Meyers really felt as if we were watching a skit right on the stage. Both played off of each other very well. Meyers was very good at picking up on comments Samberg would make and throw it back in his face with his comedic timing. I don’t think I ever cried from laughing so hard at a show, but this definitely was a first. It was probably terrible of me to laugh when Samberg basically wanted to come back to “Late Night” after Meyers dog would pass away. What does that say about me as a person, eh?
Another highlight was them discussing their “SNL” days. Samberg would ask Meyers if he thought the show was good now after their departure. Of course, the audience gasped, however I was definitely wanting him to answer that question. Meyers was very classy in his response, though, where he acknowledged nothing stays the same when you go but still gave love to his former home. Meyers would also tell the story about getting, “Weekend Update.” He said he called his mom to tell her that he would not be in sketches anymore as he was moving to that segment. His mom replied, “You’re not going to be in sketches anymore?!” What was supposed to be an exciting news drop backfired on him. Poor Seth!
No matter how many barbs both Samberg and Meyers swung at each other, one thing that was definite was the amount of respect they have for one another. Meyers was asked by Samberg about what does he miss about “SNL.” Meyers responded that he missed working with Samberg. Another aspect that shows exactly the type of human Meyers is his response to the question about what did he learn since starting “Late Night.” He said he learned to listen more, not just guests but any and everyone, and valued the importance of doing so.
Meyers would then go on to promote, “The Lonely Island & Seth Meyers Podcast,” to which Samberg replied, “I don’t believe in it.” The running gag throughout the night was how quickly Samberg was going through his question cards, and Meyers would call out each time Samberg did not finish the card or how quickly he discarded it.
So much I can say, but I will end with this. I was honored to be able to witness this entire panel at Paleyfest this year, and Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers provided the laughs and insightful discussion. Congratulations on celebrating 10 years in late night television, Mr. Meyers. You deserved all the recognition and praise. Here’s to 10 more years of talk, laughs, and day drinking!
